SUMMERVILLE – A local golf and tennis club that has been looking for a buyer since 2016 has changed hands as part of a deal with an Arizona company.
Legend Oaks Golf and Tennis Club was sold to Summerville Real Estate Group LLC, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company, on October 11th for $ 2.8 million.
The offer includes the 18-hole golf course, the clubhouse, tennis courts and the pool.
The club, which is located on SC Highway 61, is about 30 miles north of Charleston. The club was named South Carolina Golf Course of the Year 2010 by the Golf Course Owners Association and South Carolina Tennis Facility of the Year 2012 by the Southern Division of the US Tennis Association.
The sale was a bittersweet moment for Jim Chickarello, the golf club’s managing partner for 15 years.
“We’ll miss it,” said Chickarello. “We have a lot of great memories of the club and it was an important part of my life and that of my family. We will miss all the people we have met over the years. “
Chickarello decided to sell the club after his family moved to Charlotte in 2019.
“We were at this point in our lives when we wanted to step back and start thinking about retirement,” said Chickarello. “It was time for someone else to take over the reins.”
The course was originally built in the 1970s and then dormant for several years before reopening in 1994. Chickarello and his wife, Kathy, bought it in 2006.
Chickarello said the club was never “officially” for sale in the traditional sense.
“We had an arrangement with several brokers who were familiar with the golfing community,” said Chickarello. “It was known that we were open to selling it if the offers were right.”
The club’s website states that the greens on the semi-private Scott Pool-designed course were replaced in 2014, and the 161-acre property includes a pool and four hard-surfaced tennis courts.
Legend Oaks has about 1,300 homes. Several other communities are being developed nearby.
“We believe the growth potential will be very, very solid over the next 10 years,” said Chickarello of the area. “The club is very healthy financially. We had record numbers and a record number of laps on the pitch last year. It’s a great buy for the new owner group. “
Summerville Real Estate Group was unavailable for comment on their plans.
Mike Ashton, who previously served as general manager of Rivertowne golf courses and Mount Pleasant’s Snee Farm Country Club, will take on a similar role at Legend Oaks.
“Right now, I’m just trying to find out the state of the country,” Ashton said. “This is a great golf course with a great reputation. It’s a great opportunity for me and my family. “
Reach Andrew Miller at 843-937-5599. Follow him on Twitter @APMILLER_PandC